


Scorched

by WuvWinchesterHugs



Series: Crossovers [11]
Category: Burnt (2015), Days of Our Lives
Genre: Alternate Universe - Chefs, Chef Sonny, Chef Will, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-27
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2020-10-29 10:29:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20795177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WuvWinchesterHugs/pseuds/WuvWinchesterHugs
Summary: Sonny Kiriakis is a chef that ruined his career with his out of control behavior.But once he's cleaned himself up, he goes back to Chicago, determined to restore his reputation by opening a new restaurant worthy of three Michelin stars.





	1. It Serves You Right To Suffer

**Author's Note:**

> As of now, this fic is now a Days of Our Lives fanfiction, as I can no longer bring myself to finish it as a supernatural one.

Victor Kiriakis, Jackson "Sonny" Kiriakis' uncle and mentor, the man who saw his talent as a chef, said to Sonny that only by brewing coffee could you really appreciate cooking at the source, so any recipe that's paired with it is already perfect. But it's still their job to try anyway.

As an aspiring chef, Sonny tried his damndest. He spent 10 years to the day cooking in Dubai and became the head chef at Victor's restaurant. And he was pretty damn good at it. There were even times when Sonny was better than he thought he was. Or at least that's what Victor told him when he was feeling generous.

Then Sonny had to go and fuck it all up. The demons chasing him ran him out of Dubai and somehow woke up in New York. Tail between his legs, he carried out a self-inflicted sentence of brewing coffee, and today is the day that sentence is finally over.

"One million." Sonny says to himself now, as he sets his coffee pot down, pulls off his apron, and just walks right out without a word. Behind him, someone calls, "Where the hell are you going?" But he doesn't stop. He's paid his dues, now he can get back to what matters.

His mission takes him to Chicago Illinois, home of the deep dish pizza and the Sears tower. But he's not here to sightsee. No, he's here to see someone very special to him, someone he hasn't seen since everything went to hell.

A waitress named Abi tells Chad DiMera, "He was complaining about your eggs. He said they were blistered like a bad sunburn. Said he knows you from Dubai. Even called you C-Man."

Chad goes out to the dining area, to look at the check, and sees, "Hey Chad. Room 124."

Chad immediately recognizes the handwriting, and immediately goes to room 124, and knocks on the door.

Sonny doesn't even look up at the knock, just says, "It's your dad's hotel. Let yourself in."

After a second or two, Chad does, and who should he find but Jackson "Sonny" Kiriakis.

Sonny doesn't look up from his notebook, just comments, "The Toulouse wasn't made fresh. You pre cooked it yesterday and left it under the heat lamp for several hours. Left a little crust on it that shouldn't be there."

Chad demands, "Are you drunk or high? Or something only the likes of you could possibly get?"

Sonny keeps going, "And you have sashimi of all things. Thought you were taught better than that, Chad."

Chad retorts, "You really think you, the man who stole painkillers from his dying mentor, has the nerve to judge me?"

Sonny reminds him, "You used to run one of the best high end restaurants in Dubai."

Chad reminds him right back, "Before you all but set it on fire!"

Sonny just says, "Anger. That's good. You can use that.", then looks at Chad for the first time, and smiles as he says, "Hey, Chad."

But Chad is in no mood to play nice, and immediately tells Sonny,

"Did you know after you vanished, Victor and I had to shut down the restaurant. We'd heard rumors you'd been shot in Paris. Or that you owed money to drug dealers. And Victor's wife was heartbroken!"

Sonny finally closes his notebook, saying, "And now I'm back. Finally getting that third star."

Chad, naturally, sees the problem right away, "If you try to start a restaurant in Dubai, a dozen people at the minimum will show up to take you down."

Sonny isn't bothered by this at all, "Not in Dubai. Here, in Chicago. I want to take over your restaurant."

At this, Chad has to laugh at the absurdity, "If you really want my help, here's some advice: go to hell, and make it snappy."

Then Chad lets himself out of the room, but Sonny's not worried. One way or another, Chad will come around.


	2. Revolution of the Sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Horton! You just got one of the biggest compliments a chef can get!"

Later, Sonny goes to a restaurant he hasn't been to in years, to see his father, Justin Kiriakis.

When he gets there, he calls out, "Good afternoon!"

When Justin turns and sees Sonny, he immediately smiles, and greets him warmly, grabbing him in a hug,

"Sonny! Jesus, you look good!"

Justin immediately moves to sit them both down before asking,

"So where were you all this time?"

Sonny has no problem telling him, "New York."

Justin asks, curious, "What were you doing in New York?"

Sonny replies, "Slinging lattes."

Justin has no idea what to make of this, "Why would you do that, of all things?"

Sonny tells him, "Cause I finally got off the sauce."

Justin smiles again, "That's good to hear!"

Sonny goes on, "As well as huffing paint, a snort here and there, and choking myself."

Justin has a little laugh at that, before saying, "Not a word for three years, and now here you are. You son of a bitch. Paul's gonna be overjoyed."

Then a waiter comes by with their food, and once they start to dig in, Justin picks it up again,

"He missed you like crazy when you left. Worried himself sick. Honestly when Victor died, we all thought…"

Upon hearing that, Sonny looks up, a look of complete shock on his face.

Justin immediately sees his mistake, "You didn't know, did you?"

Then Sonny turns back to his food, Justin offers an apology, "I'm sorry. I know you two were really close. He was one of the good ones."

Sonny doesn't answer, just takes a bite of his food, but actually surprises himself by actually savoring the one bite.

Justin is too smart not to notice, "Pretty good, huh?"

Then he takes Sonny to the kitchen to meet the chef, who's going a mile a minute in the busy kitchen.

"Horton! You just got one of the biggest compliments a chef can get!"

Justin gestures to the scruffy man next to him, introducing, "This is Sonny. Back in his prime, he was a bit notorious."

Sonny goes about tasting the ingredients as Justin keeps talking, "He just told me your scoglio is one of the best he's tasted outside of Tanzania."

Sonny asks the chef directly, "What's your name?"

The chef doesn't even look up as he replies, "Will."

Sonny is all business as he says, "Next time you make the scoglio, try to salt your tomatoes ahead of time. That way you'll get more moisture out of the tomatoes. Got it?"

When Will doesn't acknowledge him, Sonny tries again, "Hello? Anyone home?"

Instead, Will turns to Justin and asks in French,

"Ce connard est ton ami, Justin?"

But Sonny's not phased, just replies back, "Un très bon ami. coup de pied aussi, pourquoi pas?", and walks away.

Will asks Justin in English, "He's a good chef?"

Justin nods, "Indeed."

Will keeps talking as he cooks, "Seems a little too big for his britches to be as good as he thinks."

Justin just says, "Well, what chef isn't?", then lets Will get back to cooking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will's Scoglio can be found here: https://www-myrecipes-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.myrecipes.com/recipe/scoglio-seafood-pasta?amp_js_v=a2&_gsa=1&=true&usqp=mq331AQCKAE%3D#aoh=15699549246831&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&_tf=From%20%251%24s&share=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.myrecipes.com%2Frecipe%2Fscoglio-seafood-pasta


	3. Finding the Team

Chad knocks on Sonny's hotel room door, and when he doesn't get an answer, he lets himself in. 

After taking a survey around the room, he sees the notebook he saw Sonny writing in before, and opens it.

In it, he finds page after page of numbers, as well as a bunch of other stuff that would only make sense to Sonny Kiriakis.

"Still crazy, I see." Chad mutters, then goes to look at the rooms liquor bottles, and is surprised to find there's no signs of them ever being touched. Instead, there's a water bottle left unopened, and when Chad sniffs it, he can safely say it's actual water.

But that doesn't make up for anything else. With that thought in mind, he turns to the bed and starts folding up Sonny's haphazard clothing.

Meanwhile, Sonny's just walking down the busy streets of Chicago when he sees a familiar face sitting down at a table.

"Oh, crap."

Leo Stark looks up, and once they catch eyes, Sonny turns tail and runs, and Leo follows him, eventually chasing Sonny down to an empty alleyway.

Leo looks around, calling, "Sonny?", but is suddenly hit with a bag of garbage and then promptly slammed into a wall by Sonny. The two try to wrestle for a few months, before Sonny finally concedes, yelling, "Alright, alright!" and pushing himself away.

Leo doesn't say anything for a moment, but then he laughs, holding out a hand as a peace offering.

Sonny doesn't go for it, but then Leo starts talking, "It's really okay, Sonny. I have had quite some time to think about what you did to me in Dubai. When I was your sous chef at Victor's restaurant, we were almost brothers."

Here, he stops to light a cigarette before continuing, "So when I left to do my thing, it was only natural you were...hurt, and got back at me."

Sonny needs him to know the truth, "Look, Leo, I honestly have no idea what possessed me to do what I did. I know it was lower than low. Just tell me. What exactly did I do to you?"

At this, Leo looks surprised, then asks, "ant la tatadhakar hqana ma aldhy faealtuh bi?"

Sonny shakes his head, "La."

Leo makes sure he has Sonny's full attention as he says, "qumt birashwat murid lihawm li'iieta' muteimi aljadid allihum alsayiyat alty jaealat aljamie almrdya , thuma hadhar min mufatish alsihat li'iighlaqih."

Once that's sunk in, Sonny can't think of anything to say back except for, "hadha 'aqala min munkhafid."

Now that he's said his piece, Leo takes a few steps back and says, "Justin told me about you going after the third star. I need a job. Everybody thinks chefs like us are old fashioned."

Sonny says immediately, "hadha ghyr mantiqiin."

Here, Leo puts his cigarette away and says good naturedly, "dhlk hu ma hu ealayh."

Then he holds out a hand again, asking, "hal ladayna atifaq?"

Since Sonny needs help anywhere he can get it, he quickly takes Leo's hand and shakes it in agreement.

One member of his team, several more to go.


	4. Dream

When Sonny finally gets back to the hotel, he's chased down by Abi, who calls after him,

"Mr. Kiriakis. Mr. Kiriakis!"

He finally stops when he reaches his room, so Abi proceeds to tell him, "Your credit card was declined. You no longer have sufficient funds to cover the cost of your room."

Sonny waves it off, saying, "It's okay. I'm friends with Chad DiMera."

Abi just says, "Chad told me to tell you your knives are in the bag.", hands him his duffle bag full of his stuff, and walks away.

Sonny doesn't move for a moment or two, before what just happened finally hits him.

Well, shit. Now he has to figure something else out.

His search takes him to West Loop, Chicago's food district. The food here is something else, food he can honestly say can only be compared to all of the food he's eaten on his travels.

Most of what he tastes is delicious, but it's a set of Jamaican dumplings that catches his eye.

He goes back to the place he sees it coming from, and makes his way up to the front.

When the cook asks him, "What can I get for you?", Sonny doesn't hesitate to say, "Him.", referring to the young chef cooking the dumplings behind him.

Once the chef has a minute, he steps away from the fryer and follows Sonny out to the sidewalk for his little chat.

"You pair these with a mango coleslaw, right?" Sonny asks as he takes a bite of his dumplings.

The man, who introduces himself as Neil, confirms, "Yeah. And Escovitch too, whenever we can get it."

Sonny compliments him, "It's definitely working."

Neil smiles at the compliment, "Thank you."

Then he had to tell him, "Look, Mr. Kiriakis, if in being completely honest, you're kind of my idol. We study your recipes and menus all the time."

Sonny replies, "An idol, huh? So you think I'm a god? Or is hero more appropriate?"

Neil wasn't prepared for that, but he tries to answer, "I uh...don't really see a difference."

Sonny asks a different question, "Would you be willing to work for free?"

Neil finds that extremely suspicious, "Nothing at all?"

Sonny elaborates, "Be paid in food and meals instead of a real salary."

Neil, relieved, replies, "Absolutely. Long as I was learning, I definitely would."

Then Sonny asks another weird question, "Would you pay me?"

Neil laughs nervously, but Sonny looks completely serious as he asks, "Would you pay me 120 a week? 220? 320?"

Neil is completely dumbstruck, with no idea how to respond, but Sonny decides to let him off the hook,

"Dude, I'm just making a point. Your resume is awesome, and this slaw is some of the best I've eaten in awhile, but you don't have much of a spine. If you're gonna work in my kitchen, you have to be willing to stand up for yourself."

Neil knows this already, having had his lack of backbone pointed out before, but for a chance to work for Sonny Kiriakis, he can definitely grow one.

Neil replies, "Okay." But apparently that wasn't the answer Sonny was looking for, because Sonny says, "No, you say, 'go to hell.'"

Neil's starting to get it, and says with a smile, "Yeah. Go to hell."

That makes Sonny chuckle, glad his advice was accepted so easily, "Okay. Now for the most important question. You have a spare room for me?"

It's early in the morning, and Neil and his boyfriend Derrick can't sleep because there's a bunch of noise coming from the kitchen, no doubt Sonny cooking something.

Derrick turns his head and asks, "How long did you say he could stay with us? You think he's been drinking?"

Neil dismisses it, "No, he's been off the sauce for a while now."

Derrick asks, "You sure he's a famous chef?", as he finally sits up.

Neil tries to explain, "When you're a chef he's like...Bruce Springsteen."

Derrick thinks on that, "Oh. Well, he still scares the crap out of me."

Neil tries to assure him, "He has two Michelin stars to his name. He has to scare the crap out of people."

Since Derrick isn't a chef, his next statement isn't rude, just uninformed, "Just two? Doesn't sound that famous to me."

Seeing he needs to explain, Neil sits up as well, as he says, "Well, it's like this. To even have one under your belt, you basically have to be the equivalent of Steve Irwin. If you have two, you've basically earned the right to call yourself Bob Ross. But if you actually get three…' Neil pauses to make sure Derrick is listening, "...You're Mr. Rogers."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Neil's dumplings are here: https://www.africanbites.com/dumpling/


	5. Fade Out Lines

When Neil and Derrick finally join Sonny for breakfast in the morning, they're pretty surprised.

Sonny tells them as he hands them their food, "Derrick, I went a little crazy with the pine nuts and made a little ricotta salad for you. 

And for your carnivore boyfriend, a soup with aromatic shrimp and noodles. 

Then we got a seafood arrabbiata,

followed by a baked stuffed artichoke with garlic, parsley and oregano."

As Neil tastes the seafood arrabbiata, Derrick stifles a snicker.

Sonny notices, and asks, "Something funny?"

Embarrassed at being caught, Derrick points to his boyfriend, saying, "Neil here thinks arrabbiata is old fashioned."

Nobody says a word after hearing that, as Sonny just stares down at the arrabbiata, then at Neil, but then he points to their food and orders, "Keep eating."

Later, Sonny's eating at a McDonald's waiting for someone, eating a Big Mac and writing in his notebook.

"Do you think you're funny?" Comes from the person who approaches the table, and Sonny looks up and asks, "Well yes, but why would you think I'm being funny now?"

Will Horton reminds him, no friendly tone in his voice, "You left me a note to meet up at a McDonald's."

Sonny shakes his head, "Nope. Not being funny at all. It's just easy, convenient, cheap. All you gotta do is look and you'll find one. They also don't throw you out if they think you're crazy." He gestures to the seat across from him. "Please. Sit."

Will reluctantly obliges, and Sonny asks, "Want me to get you something?"

Will snorts, "Not from here."

Sonny asks, only curious, "Why not?"

Will tells him, "Cause I'm not gonna eat at a place that doesn't even have a real chef."

Sonny challenges, "What, you got something against minimum wage workers?"

Will has to laugh as he tells him, "Mr. Kiriakis, I'm a sous chef. I am a minimum wage worker."

Sonny then asks, "Wanna know the real reason you think you don't like fast food?"

Will is puzzled by this, "Why I THINK I don't?"

Sonny goes on, "Because the working class eats it."

This only leaves Will more confused, "I'm sorry?"

Sonny throws down a challenge, "Explain to me how it's fair that a place we work at charges up to 600 for a meal, while a place like this only charges 5 bucks."

Will doesn't feel like playing this game, "I'm not gonna do that."

Sonny replies, "Exactly. Because you can't."

That makes Will reply, "Fine. It's because places like this serve food with too much fat and salt and only use the cheapest cuts of meat."

Sonny laughs, "You literally just described the majority of classic French peasant dishes. McDonald's is the working class doing what they do best." Here, he opens up his burger and continues, "Taking the scraps and giving it flavor it otherwise wouldn't have.

Stroganoff.

Spatzle.

Pierogi.

Do I need to keep going?"

Will's had enough, "I'm done."

Sonny then says, "Here's what you should've said: it's too balanced. You become too balanced, you're dead in the water."

Will has to argue, "Balance is what every chef tries to achieve."

Sonny shakes his head, "No, a chef should be well balanced in experience, but never in taste. It's like... brewing coffee. No matter what beans you're using, it always ends the same way, but you have to find different ways to dress it up."

Then Will finally decides to get up, but not before telling Sonny, "Well, I wish I could say it's been nice meeting you, but I like the job I have. Good luck."

Then Will leaves, but Sonny smiles. Once again, he already knows he's made a dent.

Now to go track down the top food critic in Chicago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sonnys dishes can be found here:
> 
> https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/9348-ricotta-and-pine-nut-salad
> 
> https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/aromatic-shrimp-and-noodle-medicine-soup?intcid=inline_amp
> 
> https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/seafood-arrabbiata
> 
> https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/baked_stuffed_artichokes/


	6. Cooking For Gabi

Sonny's next venture takes him to Gabriella Hernandez, who's currently enjoying some breakfast and reading the paper. And she's so engrossed in it, it takes her a moment to realize he's there.

"Sonny Kiriakis. Christ. I was hoping you'd met an 'unfortunate accident'"

Sonny's all friendly, joking, "Closed any decent restaurants lately?"

Gabi argues, "I don't close decent restaurants. I give reviews to bad ones, and they do the right thing and close down because of them."

Then Sonny gets right to the point, "I want you to help me kick this pious city's ass. I'm here to stay, and I'm cooking like I did in my prime, before everything started to be vacuum sealed."

Well. Someone hasn't changed at all. She tells him, "You know something? When I can't sleep because of insomnia, I start a list of all my regrets. And you're on it. I ask myself, "Gabi, Sonny Kiriakis is beneath you. Why would you be dumb enough to give him a glowing review?"

That makes Sonny smile, and when Gabi smiles back, he knows she's on board with his plan.

Back in Chad's hotel restaurant, he happens to look out the window, and sees a very upsetting sight. Quickly, he turns to a server and tells him,

"Gabriella Hernandez is here!"

The maitre d has to ask, "I'm sorry. Who?"

Chad snaps, "What the hell do you mean, 'who'? The restaurant critic of the fucking Chicago Tribune!"

Once he's in the kitchen, he's already falling apart as he checks every single thing before it goes out.

"It's bone dry! The squab is dryer than the Sahara, and that sauce is, is…" then he snaps. "That's it. We're utterly fucked. She's gonna shut us down."

Then he tosses the dish in the trash, right as he sees Sonny waiting for him, and immediately, he knows.

"This was you?"

Sonny says calmly, "Unless you have me cooking for her, your restaurant is as good as gone."

Chad isn't listening, "You're mental."

At this, Sonny simply walks away, and finally, Chad has to swallow his pride.

"Wait. Wait!"

Sonny goes straight to work, cutting the proteins, slicing vegetables, cooking the sauce, and finally plating the dishes.

"Service!"

The dishes are promptly brought out and set in front of Gabi and her boyfriend Nick.

They dig in oh so carefully, and upon seeing the smiles on their faces, Chad whispers to Abi, "He could've cooked charcoal and she'd smile."

Abi smiles at this, then walks off to assist another table.

After closing, Sonny dumps his duffle on a table, while Chad keeps himself busy sorting his recipe file.

Sonny says, "I want to redeem myself for Dubai."

Chad asks, not friendly in the slightest, "So what, because I handed over my restaurant, now I'm the one in your debt?"

Sonny doesn't hold back, "You should've been thrown out of here years ago, and Stefano was the only reason you weren't. Leo's my sous chef."

Chad informs Sonny, "Leo mawjud fi dubay."

Sonny goes on, "Brian's on board."

Chad tells Sonny, "Brian's in jail."

Sonny clarifies, "He gets out this week. And I found a line cook who has no clue how good he really is."

Chad notices how his face lights up when Sonny says this, and says, "How good he 'really is'? I see what's going on here. That right there is where your master plan goes to hell in a handbasket. In three days tops, you'll be fucking. Another three, you drop him on his ass, and he'll leave screaming and crying."

Sonny moves to sit at Chad table, promising, "No more fuck buddies. I haven't had a drop of alcohol in 3 years, 1 week, and 3 days. I'm asking you to talk to your dad."

Chad reminds him, "My dad is sick."

Sonny corrects him, "No, your dad is dying. This is a golden opportunity for you to do something he'll actually be proud of you for. You're the best Maître d in America. And my kitchen will be the best ever. Together, we can get that third star."

Chad doesn't say anything to that, just sits as he thinks about that offer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sonny's dish for Gabi can be found here: https://www.dartagnan.com/dw/image/v2/AALC_PRD/on/demandware.static/-/Sites-dartagnan-Library/default/dwd2056739/images/content/roast-squab-with-blueberry-gastrique-recipe.jpg?sw=660&strip=false


	7. You're Going Down

"The money the DiMera family agreed to pay for renovations comes with conditions. You must report to me here every Monday. I'll be testing your blood levels for alcohol and drugs. If I find any traces of either one, all financial support for your restaurant will immediately cease."

The therapist/doctor Sonny agreed to see, named Marlena, tells him as she pulls out a box of plastic gloves.

"I've been seeing Chad for years. Do you go to meetings at all?"

Sonny denies, "Nah, not big on groups."

Marlena asks a follow up question, "Then how do you expect to stay sober?"

Sonny attempts to stay light-hearted, "Oh you know. Positive affirmations. Giving myself over to a higher power."

Marlena doesn't find that particularly funny, "You have a disease. You don't have to shoulder the burden all on your own. I actually run a group on Wednesdays and Fridays at 11. You'd be welcome. You could make sandwiches."

Sonny dismisses it, "I don't make sandwiches.,", then moves to the table to roll his sleeve up. "I've put so much crap in my body, I'm pretty sure it's still built up down in my ankles."

Marlena informs Sonny, "In my level of expertise, people like you who show up and make crude jokes are actually scared of what might come out if they didn't constantly feel the need to act like they're tough."

Sonny blows that off too, "I haven't had to act tough since the nineties. I am tough."

Marlena then asks, "Do you have a problem with needles?"

Sonny laughs, "If you really need to ask, then you obviously don't know me as well as you think."

Then, as she, sticks the needle in, Sonny asks her his own question, "You ever seen the movie Cool Runnings?" He pauses, then answers, "That's how I want my kitchen to be."

Of course, that doesn't mean he's not gonna ruffle some feathers.

He waits for the head chef of his competition to come out, and once he approaches the table, he smiles, greeting him,

"Hey, T. Heard you've lost your touch, but I think this crab just confirmed it." and holding up a piece of crab on his fork.

T turns to his maitre 'd, telling him, "Give us a minute.", and once that's done, he pulls up a seat and sits across from Sonny.

"Sonny Kiriakis lives."

Sonny jokes, "The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated."

T plays along, "You might still be. After all, in today's world, dead is cooking barbecue with has-beens on daytime television."

Sonny laughs good-naturedly, "If I were that dead, I wouldn't have the nerve to show my face here. Really nice decor you got going here, by the way. It's perfect for keeping all the little fairies out."

T has had enough, "What do you want, Sonny?"

Sonny tells him, "Just wanted to see how far ahead I need to be to catch up with the tortoise."

T is amused by this, "I'm the tortoise?"

Sonny points at him, "Your analogy, not mine.", then looks back at his food. "What happened to butter?"

T retorts, "What happened to your baby face?"

Sonny lists in order, "Heroin, meth, New York."

T then asks, "I heard a most likely false rumor that you're trying for star number 3."

Sonny replies, "And I heard a most likely false rumor that you succeeded. Imagine my shock when I found out it's for real."

T snorts, "Must've taken it pretty hard."

Sonny denies it, "Nah, I was zonked out on painkillers."

Then T decides to lay it all out, "Look, if you came here to try and start up the DaVinci/Michaelangelo thing again, you wasted your time. All my ingredients are locally grown and cooked in unique ways that my diners seem to like."

Sonny counters, "Well, no, you don't really cook at all. You stuff food into a condom and let it do all the cooking for you."

T snarks, "Well, it would seem when Sonny Kiriakis dropped off the face of the Earth, he took frying pans, fire and booze with him. And don't go thinking the water makes any difference either."

T gestures to the glass of water in front of him, then continues, "You're an addict and always will be. If you're not drinking, you're doing some illegal substance, or back to booze, or screwing any two legged guy who gives you a second look. Face it, Kiriakis. You will do whatever it takes to feel the way you've always felt every second of the day."

Seeing he has Sonny's attention, he finishes, "Ruined childhood is beautiful."

Then he stands up, "Ruined adulthood is decidedly not. And don't think for a second that that meal is on the house. You're a big boy. Pay like everyone else."

Finally, Sonny finds something to say, "T, if I'm being honest, your crab was better than just good."

If he honestly thinks that's going to get him anywhere, T's more than happy to set him straight, "If there's any human decency in you left, you'll leave Chad DiMera and his father be."

Then T walks away, but not before he hears, "You put too much lemon juice in the sauce. That's what really fucked you up."

At that, T turns back, almost about to say something, but then thinks better of it and just walks away.

The maitre 'd comes back then, asking, "How did he look? Drunk?"

T ignores this as he stomps off, demanding, "Find out how far along he is and who he's dragging down with him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to assure everyone who's just started reading this: this fic has not been abandoned, I'm just putting it on hold to focus on The Balance, my other fic. Hope to see you there!

**Author's Note:**

> Comments comments comments!


End file.
